Back to the Beginning
by Maia2
Summary: Sequel to Back to Work. Another story that's just an excuse to write our boy as the smart-Alec that he is. Max and Alec have to go back to where it all started.


Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Well... I gave in. Couldn't resist ;). I have to thank Infie for the title and basic idea AND for the beta job. What would I do without you, huh? Sorry it took me all this time, but it is longer than usual, so I hope you all won't mind. Thanks for reading.

A/N2: Thanks to Era for rescuing this from the big bad internet.

A/N3: Goes right after Back to Work. I'll make a lot more sense if you've read that. Also... I am really not nice to poor Logan here. Sorry?

**Back to the Beginning**

by Maia.

Max was standing by the bar, waiting for another pitcher of beer. She was playing with a bottle cap someone had left lying there, trying to be as inconspicuous as she could about her glances towards the stairs. Had she bothered to ask them, her friends would have told her to give it up. She wasn't fooling anyone.

"Expecting someone, Maxie?" A deep, sexy voice whispered by her ear, making her jump. She watched horrified as the cap she had been playing with landed in the glass of a bulky man three stools away. She was about to open her mouth to apologize, when the guy took a giant gulp of his drink and then proceeded to spit it all over the biker sitting next to him.

Before she knew what was going on, she was already by Sketchy and OC's table, having been led there by two firm hands on her shoulders. Her friends were laughing at the spectacle the brawl of gigantic proportions at the bar was causing. Max frowned. "This was all _his_ fault!"

Alec looked at them with his most innocent face, his hands raised. "I just went there to say hi to her. I think someone is a little jumpy, wouldn't you agree?" He turned to look at her. "Feeling a little... tense, Max?"

"Shut up!" She growled and punched his arm, which only served to make his smile even brighter. She crossed her arms and sat straight, refusing to look at either of their laughing friends or, of course, him.

Alec watched her display, amused, but also with barely concealed heat in his eyes. He liked seeing her all worked up and in a huff. He knew she would not be able to keep that pose for too long, so he used the opportunity to study her closely.

She was so beautiful. And so... alive.

He had been purposefully ignoring her since the other night. He had said no more than hello and goodbye to her at work. He hadn't even come to Crash for the last couple of nights. She had been expecting him to make a move, to say something that next morning. He had loved to see that disconcerted expression when he had acted as if nothing had happened. Had really enjoyed her frustration at not knowing what to do, how to act around him. He knew it was not very nice of him, but he liked the feeling of having Max acting all strange and careful around him for once.

It had been great.

Not anymore, though. He just couldn't wait to touch her again, to kiss her, have her..-

"Max!"

Alec turned to look at the middle aged man that was approaching them, looking around with a mixture of wariness and fascinated aversion.

"Dr. Carr?" Max's tone matched her disbelieving expression.

* * *

They were all sitting in Logan's living room. The rain was falling incessantly outside, splashing against the large panes of the windows.

Logan was lying on the couch, covered with a blanket, a look of suffering on his face. He'd had a relapse, according to what Dr. Carr had told them. Something to do with the ingestion of alcohol.

Max was tapping her foot impatiently. Her eyes went to the tray with the tea service time and time again, annoyed at the delay it was causing.

Alec was sprawled on the sofa opposite Max's. His attitude was completely relaxed. He had a cup of tea in one hand and the other one was resting on the back of the seat. His glance lingered on Max and he started to count to himself. _One... Two.. aaaand... thr..-_ Max stood up and placed a hand on her hip. _-..ee._ He smiled to himself.

"Okay, Logan. What the hell was so important you had to drag me and Alec out of Crash? We have a right to relax, you know? Our free time is not something to take lightly. We have a lot of obligations, and we need to take a break every now and then!" Max said, and with a completely serious air at that.

Alec was forced to put the cup back on the small table before him. He needed his hand to cover his mouth.

He watched Logan change his expression into the one of self-righteousness he seemed so partial to. "Well, I think you won't be so concerned after I tell you what I have to tell you..." He paused for effect.

"Logan..." Max hissed.

Logan seemed to decide it had been enough. Still, he cleared his throat dramatically before announcing: "I found Zack!"

"That's it? You found Zack?" Max's voice was dangerously low as she glared at Logan. "I don't know if this sounds familiar to you, but he was placed in a farm by ... uhm... YOU!"

Alec, however missed her display of sarcasm. Having watched the smug smile on Logan's lips, he was now fully alert. Nothing changed in his posture, and yet everything did in his attitude. A casual observer wouldn't have noticed the difference. A closer inspection, nevertheless, would have told anyone the man sitting there so calmly was ready for anything. But, neither Max nor Logan were looking.

"Well, he's no longer at the farm." Logan said patronizingly.

Max stilled completely. She was frozen in place, her eyes fixed on him. "What?" she finally managed. Her voice was so soft Alec barely heard her. Logan answered anyway, having seen her lips move.

"He disappeared two weeks ago f..-"

Alec jumped from his seat before Logan could finish the sentence and managed to grab hold of Max just before her hands reached Logan's neck. He used both his arms to restrain her as she struggled furiously, her eyes never leaving her prey. "Easy there, wild cat. He won't be able to tell you anything if he's dead."

"I don't care! Did you hear what he just said? I'm going to rip him to pie..-"

Alec turned her head around with one hand to make her face him. After a few seconds of looking into those deep pools her muscles slowly started to relax, until she finally nodded. He smiled reassuringly and she leaned against him before turning back to Logan who was staring at her out of wide eyes, his mouth hanging open.

Alec's arm remained resting casually against her curves. His eyes were fixed on the human. None of the warmth they had shown Max a mere second before was evident.

"Zack has been missing for two weeks. You knew this. And you didn't say anything to me." Max spoke very slowly, stressing every sentence. "Please tell me there is a good reason for Alec to have stopped me."

"Well, I saw no point in worrying you. And, I was trying to find him. Which I did."

Alec's arm tightened once again around Max. She looked up at him, bewilderment shining in her eyes. She was about to lose it again. He tilted his head towards the window and, after taking a deep breath, she moved and went to stand by it. She looked out, her whole body tense.

He turned to look at Cale. "Interesting. So, just to see if I understand your logic... Putting aside the fact that he is her brother... This person, who happens to have the strength and abilities of at least five ordinary people put together and who, by the way, has no memory of this and so wouldn't know how to control them, and who, lets not forget, has been trained to kill, is somewhere out there, but you saw no reason to worry Max." Alec looked thoughtful. "But then, over a nonexistent note form a fake bad guy, she should worry ..."

"Well, that was.."

"Please." Alec raised a hand to stop him. "Do yourself a favor. Don't get me started on that one." Logan eyed him warily. Had he detected a threat in Alec's voice? "Then again," Alec continued, looking at Max, "I never got to thank you for that night Max and I got to spend together in an empty warehouse, did I?" He smiled briefly, secretively, just for Logan's benefit. The smile vanished. "I suggest you start talking. She's gonna start seeing red again pretty soon, and I might not be able to stop her in time ..."

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"Max, will you relax?" He said, turning to look at her. "You've asked me the same thing... what?... five hundred times?"

She looked anxiously at him. "I'm sorry. It's just the thought of him..."

He sighed. "I know." He gave her a sweet smile and a very determined look, "We'll get him out." She nodded, biting her lip. "Hey, listen to me, Max. We will." All of a sudden he winked at her. "You think I'd pass up on the opportunity to be lifted in the air and choked by your big brother who has a crush on you? Not a chance!" He ruffled her hair and laughed at her indignant look. "Come on."

They walked through the woods for another hour until they reached the fence marking the edge of the property. Logan had talked to the farmer that had taken Zack in. The guy had told him about Zack starting to get some memories back, and that he kept talking about a kind of summer- camp/school in the woods. Logan had come up with some weird theory about implanted memories and whatnot. Alec and Max, on the other hand, had immediately taken off heading this way. They both knew the only place he would associate with that: The Wyoming facility.

Alec looked at her, watching the memories put a dark light into her eyes. He grabbed her hand. "We'll go together." He said softly. "And we'll get out together. You've done it once. You'll do it again."

They both flexed their knees and jumped over the barbed wire, landing smoothly on the other side. He watched her closely. The darkness was starting to creep into her again. He would not have that.

"Hey Max, look! Remember this obstacle course?"

"Huh?"

"Course number three! Come on, you've got to remember it."

She frowned as she tried to remember. "The one that goes by the pond?"

"Yes!" He smiled brightly.

"What about it?"

"Remember how it was the big, scary one? Bet your squad never finished it in under forty minutes."

She looked at him with an outraged face. "We so did! We were very good!" At his snort, she added, with a superior tone, "The instructors were always congratulating us cause we had excellent times."

"Ha! 'Excellent' ... Yeah, I think that's the one they used for 'not the best'." He said, raising an arrogant eyebrow, before turning to continue his way.

She stared after him openmouthed. After a few seconds, she ran up to him. "All right, lets see what you got."

"What?"

"Come on! If I remember correctly, this one finishes on the back of the lab building. That's the one we are heading for anyway." She answered defiantly. "I want you to show me how good you are."

_Mission accomplished_ he told himself silently. Out loud, he just said: "Come on, Max. You really don't want to do this."

"Oh, but I do."

"Maaaax, come on! I've got ten years of training on you!"

"Yeah, well, I've got ten years of running on you." She countered, chin raised. "Oh, but it's okay... I mean, if you don't want to... I know that's the real reason you didn't take me to the army base with you... "

"Excuse me?"

"Just admit it, pretty boy. You are afraid you are going to lose to one of the oh-niners..."

"Oh, am I?"

"Prove me wrong."

He took a long, speculative glance at her daring face, biting his thumb as if deep in thought, only to finally nod. "All right, missy. You've got it. I'll even give you a two kilometer head start." He said, "BUT," Max turned back again, looking at him questioningly. "You can't just toss a dare like that and offer nothing in return."

A wary look crossed her eyes, but she raised her chin even higher. "Fine. What would you propose?"

He raised an eyebrow and licked his lips, a hot look on his eyes. He leaned closer to her, until his mouth was almost touching her ear. His voice was very low and seductive as he spoke. "Well, you know... what I would really like, would be..." He suddenly stepped away, smiling mischievously. "A half an hour of fencing practice."

"Wh.. What?" He laughed at her disbelieving look.

"Fencing, Max. You do remember, right? The thing we used to do in building number three? With the white outfits, and those pointy things.."

"I know what fencing is, you moron." He grinned at her glare. "But," she shook her head, "why?"

"Why, you ask. Well... I would have suggested target practice but, out of consideration towards your aversion to guns, I'm willing to sacrifice my own happiness and pleasure." He said with his best martyr face.

"Oh, shut up!" She smacked the side of his head, but still wore the same puzzled expression on that lovely face of hers. It was all Alec could do not to laugh out loud. She was just so easy to tease.

"So, what do you say, Maxie?" He pushed for an answer. When she still looked dubious, he asked innocently. "Oh, wait. Is your fencing a little rusty? Are you going to chicken out on me?"

* * *

He really did know what buttons to push. "Ha! You wish, you show-off!" Besides, there was no way he could beat her. Not on this course. She made a conscious effort to hide her smirk. He was in for a little surprise.

"Okay, shall we?" He said, still smiling.

"By all means." She answered.

He looked so smug, standing there. He was so sure he would win, he hadn't even bothered to ask her what her prize would be. Even though seeing his face when he lost would be more than enough, she was still going to ask for something. He would not get off that easily. She walked the two kilometers quickly. She couldn't wait till the race was over. As she reached the spot, she turned. He was standing in the middle of the road, Max watched him make the signal for 'Go!' and started to run.

It was a very narrow trail in the middle of two steep ravines. She ran for some five hundred meters, jumping to avoid the trees that were still strategically lying across the path. When the road did a sharp left turn, effectively blocking Alec's sight of her, she jumped on top of the intricate net of wires she was supposed to crawl under. Using them for impulse, she leaped once again, this time higher, until her hands reached one of the lower branches of one of the trees lined up on the mound to her right. She balanced on it for an instant, and then let go, smoothly landing on a flat rock. She smiled briefly, before she started running again, this time through the brush. She would have laughed out loud, but she did not want to waste any unnecessary energy. This route would save her a lot of time, but she wanted to make sure she got there first. He did have years on her. The advantage he had given her had come as icing on the cake. The course twisted and turned, and there were numerous obstacles whose difficulty increased along the way. She knew, from experience, this way she could save up to fifteen minutes. It was all she needed.

She ducked to avoid a low branch. It was a narrow miss. She reminded herself some of the trees had grown, it was a long time since she'd last been here.

She finally got out of the vegetation, right where the course met the pond. She looked carefully back down the trail, and after making sure Alec was nowhere to be seen -or heard-, she got back on the designated path.

The course implied going through the small 'lake'. She knew the best part of it to cross through, the section with large rocks she could step on. She sprinted, barely touching them, knee deep in the freezing water. As she reached the other end, she did not even pause. She continued down the lane, until at yet another turn, she slid down a large granite rock and was once again running through the woods.

She could feel her blood pumping at a furious rate, the air caressing her skin, playing with her hair; she could smell the leaves, the grass; could feel the tensing of her muscles. This was great. She had forgotten how good it felt to push herself to the limit, to use all her strength, her abilities; the freedom, the exhilaration; and of course, the rush of winning.

She was only six hundred meters away form the finish line. She stopped to listen. It was just a reflex, she knew he couldn't be anywhere near. She got back on the track and happily dodged the last couple of obstacles. She was breathing hard when she made the last turn, but she hadn't felt this good in a long time. She shook her head, tossing her hair around, her eyes closed, letting the dim morning sunlight stroke her face.

"_Excellent_ time, Max. I'm impressed."

She opened her eyes in time to see a shape on one of the walls of the lab building tear itself from it. His arms were still crossed, and he was smirking smugly.

* * *

"So, you ready for some action?"

"Wha- How?"

"How...what?" He asked innocently.

"How did you get here so fast?"

"Well.. I ran, how else?" He smiled sweetly.

"There is no way you could have gotten here before me. No one is that fast."

"Why, Maxie, I wouldn't make such sweeping statements. I mean, I'm sure there were some X5s even in your own squad that were faster than you..."

"You know that is not what I meant." She said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, whatever did you mean then?" He blinked, a fake expression of confusion on his face. "You know, I did find the fact that I didn't pass you on the way here a little strange... Maybe you made a wrong turn at some point?"

"I.. " He laughed as he watched her stomp her foot on the floor.

"Come on, sweetheart. I'll collect later. Right now we have to go pick up your brother."

She sobered up. "Right. Where do you think he'd be?"

"Er.. he's your brother, Max. Where do you think he'd be?"

"Let's go to our old barracks. Maybe he'll be there."

They walked around the labs, until they reached the main yard. Max frowned as images of little kids, all dressed alike and marching assaulted her mind. She looked up at Alec, but he was smiling, his eyes unfocussed. "Why are you smiling?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just remembering."

"And that makes you smile?" She asked, shocked. "But... after all they did to you?"

He shrugged. "Well, yes, they did horrible stuff to me, but I didn't know it was that bad back then. And besides, that all started after you guys escaped. Before that, I spent most of my time training with my friends. What is there not to smile about?" He looked at her. "Don't you have good memories? How about the races, like the one we did today? Or the exercises? The classes? Or sitting on your beds late at night listening to Ben's stories, like you told me? Knowing you had so many siblings, friends? People who were there for you, who shared everything with you, who knew you for who you were? Who _loved_ you for who you were?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. He rested his arm on her shoulders, a reassuring smile on his lips. He knew she'd be thinking about it. He took another step and stopped abruptly, looking down at his boot in disgust. He shook his foot and added. "The dogs. Remember the dogs?"

Max looked down at his shoe, making a face at the smell and trying hard not to laugh. "Uh... no. I can't say that I recall any."

He leaned on the wall as he tried to clean his sole against the grass. "Well, maybe Zack got himself a mutt."

* * *

Their light steps sounded loud and clear on the empty hallways.

"You know what? It doesn't look so big and scary now," Max commented as they passed the different rooms. Spider webs and dust covered tables, chairs, beds, desks and just about any available surface.

"Well, you are a little bigger now, Maxie. Not much, granted," he added looking down at her, "but still bigger."

"Oh, shut up!" She kicked his shin playfully.

"Well, well, well... I see some things never change." They both turned around at the sound of the voice, only to find a smiling Zack leaning against a doorframe, looking benevolently at them.

"Zack!" Max yelled, throwing herself into his arms. He hugged her back, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

Alec glanced at him warily, but the other guy was still smiling at him. Alec's eyebrows drew closer together.

"Come on." Zack said, motioning for him to join them. "Don't be shy!"

"What, so you can give me one of those choking 'hugs' of yours, er... I think I'll pass, thanks." Alec answered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

Zack blinked and then looked down at Max. "What's with him?"

She let go of him, and still smiling said, "Well, I guess he's still a little wary after the last time he saw you." She turned to look at Alec. "It's okay. He remembers now."

Alec still looked dubious. "He remembers...what?"

"He knows he's my brother."

Zack was frowning now. "Of course I'm your brother. You are Max. Right?" After her nod, he continued. "You knew I had lost my memory? Did you put me on that farm?"

Max looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry. It was the only thing we could think of. You were not yourself."

He nodded. "You did good. I had too much information. I still do."

Alec still didn't look convinced. "So you remember everything?"

"Not exactly. I didn't remember how I came to be on the farm." They were walking towards the 'cafeteria' now. "I was working one day, and there was this crate they were carrying that suddenly broke loose. It was about to fall on top of my boss. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the grass with my boss, the crate beside us. I had been at least fifty meters away. The boss tried to play it cool, like it was no big deal, but I knew something was wrong. I started to test my speed, and I was way too fast. Then it was my strength, my eyes, my hearing. I knew my senses were better than the rest, but I realized it was too much." They all sat down on the only clean table in the room. Zack had evidently been here a while. "And then I started getting all these memories. I saw a bunch of kids, all dressed in gowns. And I remembered this place. I had to come here."

Max was looking at him sympathetically, her hand on top of his. Alec frowned. He didn't like this one bit. He examined Zack's expression carefully and then relaxed. All right. An older brother he could live with. As long as Zack kept it that way.

"When I got here, it all started to come back. I remembered all of us here, and then escaping. I remembered trying to find you all. And then, I remembered where you all were. Well, most of you. I was getting a little worried about Ben. But I see he's found you." He finished with a smile.

Max and Alec looked at each other.

"What makes you think this is Ben?" Max asked carefully.

"I remember his eyes. And then when you guys walked in here, and I saw you laughing and fighting, I just knew."

"He's not Ben, Zack."

"What do you mean, he's not Ben?" Alec just turned halfway around to show him his bar code. "494? Are you twined or something?"

Alec just twisted his face into an apologetic smile. "Sorry, buddy. I am."

Zack nodded, considering the information for a moment. "How did you escape?" Then he suddenly stood up and turned to look at Max. "How do you know he's not with them? They must have sent him." He took out a gun and pointed it at Alec's head, who sat very still, but didn't take his eyes from Zack either. "Damn it, Max. How many times have I told you to be more careful who you get in touch with?"

"It's okay, Zack, really. He was not sent by Manticore." She hesitated. "Well, he was, but that was before." Alec shot her a disbelieving glance, looked at the gun in front of him and then back at her, his eyebrows raised. She made an apologetic face. "Seriously Zack, he's okay, just put the gun down."

"You're talking nonsense. Max, we have to find a way out of here. They are probably right behind you!" Zack looked at her, only for an instant. It was all Alec needed. When Zack turned back, he was staring down the barrel of a gun.

Alec spoke very slowly. "Manticore no longer exists, 599. It was torched by Max a few months back." Zack eyed him warily. "Ask her. If she had two ounces of sense, she would have started by saying that." Alec raised his left eyebrow again, but didn't take his eyes from the man before him.

Max stared at them, a bewildered look on her face. Had she not been so anxious, she would have laughed at the image they presented: two strong, lean, handsome men standing face to face, the table between them, their bodies tense, the guns held before them and practically touching one another's noses. It was very much reminiscent of an action flick scene from the past century.

The men however, remained impassive, staring each other down, until Zack finally said, "Well, she always had a hard time getting her priorities straight." They both slowly and simultaneously lowered their guns, chuckling slightly. They tucked their guns away and sat down, completely relaxed, on opposite sides of the table.

Max remained standing there, looking from one to the other. She uttered a very unladylike "Urgh!" and sprawled in another chair, still glaring at them.

Alec looked at her innocently. "Something wrong, Maxie?"

"Oh, I don't know. I tell my brother someone is okay, but does he believe me? Oh no! He doesn't. But then, this total stranger tells him something and looks all I'm-the-toughest-guy-around and he believes him. Oh, and lets not forget, the guy who is supposed to be my boyfriend just called me an idiot, and my brother readily agreed and laughed at me. But, hey, what's there not to like?" To her frustration, her rant didn't get the reactions she was aiming for. Oh she got the frown from Zack, but it was directed at Alec. And Alec... The idiot was actually grinning. Widely. Like a kid. What was wrong with him?

"Excuse me?" Zack asked him, still scowling.

"Huh? Oh." Alec suddenly seemed to remember who he was, and even when the smile did vanish from his lips, he held Zack's look steadily. "You got a problem with that?"

"Well, that depends on how you handle it." Zack didn't look any friendlier.

They got into another one of those male eye to eye things, but this one lasted longer. Well, at least there were no guns pointing at anyone. She guessed she should be grateful for that much. She wondered what this one was all about, but only briefly. It was useless trying to understand guys.

"You better-"

"I will." Alec interrupted firmly

They both nodded, reaching a silent agreement.

Max rolled her eyes at them.

"Can we move on now, or are there some more testosterone displays you guys need to go through?"

"Well, that depends..." Alec smiled seductively at her and winked at Zack, "would you like some?"

Max stared at him open-mouthed "You are so sick! He is my brother!!"

"Do you have something against your brother coming to do a little fencing with us?" Alec asked sweetly.

Max mentally kicked herself. She had fallen right into that one. Again. She peeked at Zack, her cheeks turning a very becoming shade of red. She shouldn't have worried, he was smiling with amusement, sharing the joke with that stupid, good for nothing, childish, adorable, in..- Adorable? Where did that one come from? She shook her head.

"Fine! You boys go play with your toys! Let me know when you're done." She moved to leave, but was stopped by a hand in her arm. When had he moved?

"Not so fast, sweetheart." Sweetheart? Her heart did a little flip. "You owe me a little bout yourself, remember?"

"I do not!"

"Oh, yes, you do!"

"You cheated!" She pleaded to her brother. "We raced course number three and he gave me a two kilometer head start, and he still got there before me."

"And you didn't see him pass you?" Zack asked.

"No." Max said, raising her chin.

"Now, Maxie, why don't you tell your brother the whole story?"

"Well I..." He raised an eyebrow. "Fine. I cheated, I took those two shortcuts you taught us, Zack. But see? There is no way he could have been going through the course and still beat me."

"Well... I guess you'll never know now." Alec smiled smugly.

"You.."

"Now, Max, stop that. I highly doubt he followed the correct trail, but since you were not on it, you can't prove that. It's your own fault." Zack shrugged. When she was about to continue with her protestations he raised a hand. "And you can hardly complain that he cheated better than you did. Now, Max, you are not going to back on your word, are you? That is not how we were trained." She heard his serious, admonitory tone and knew she was lost. Damn Alec.

* * *

They were walking in the direction of the gym. "And exactly how do you plan on going about this? I mean, do you two really expect that Manticore left all the swords and stuff lying here?"

The two men looked at each other and then rolled their eyes at her.

"What?"

It was Zack who explained. "We don't need the suits and scoring machines. Any one of us is fast enough to keep score."

"And as for the 'swords' as you called them," Alec took over, "Voila!" He leaned down and lifted a piece of wood from the floor in the hallway that led to the gym. From within he took out a pair of each of the blades they'd been trained on.

Zack smiled.

Max looked from one to the other. Again. "You both knew this was here?"

"Yup." They answered in unison.

When she continued to stare, Alec asked. "How many times do you remember fencing?"

"I don't know. Twice a week?"

"Exactly. The only reason they taught us a decaying -their words, not mine- discipline like this was for us to hone our agility, our quickness, our subtlety of movements. Strategy..." He made a movement with his hand. "But we all loved it. It was fun. So we hid some of the weapons, and we would come to practice late at night."

"But how? They didn't let us out at night."

Alec just looked at her. "And how exactly did you go to the roof to practice your teeth ceremonies and stuff?"

"Oh." He smiled condescendingly at her. She still asked: "But I thought you guys didn't know each other from before."

"We didn't." This time Zack answered. "But we left each other signals. The COs, that is. Ones we knew the guards would never pick up on."

"And how come I was never invited to these nightly bouts?"

"Well, for starters, you were way younger. And besides, we usually came just in pairs. You never showed any particular interest in it. And there was no reason to tell the rest of you about it. You'd want to come, and we'd be putting you at risk." He spoke in his usual superior, no discussion allowed, tone.

"Whatever." She said, grumpy. "Lets get this over with."

Alec smirked. "Your choice, ma'am."

"Foil." She said.

"Very well." He handed one over. "You do remember the rules, right?"

"The valid area is the torso, from shoulders to groin, front and back. It does not include arms, legs, neck or head." She recited by heart, even though she did put a slight emphasis on the word groin, just so he'd remember.

"Good." He said. "What will it be? Olympic-style Direct Elimination?" When she just looked at him, he added, "Three three-minute periods. First one that effectively scores fifteen points wins."

"What happened to the half hour?"

"Letting you go easy." He smiled confidently. He eyed her up and down. "You wouldn't happen to have a white lacy dress, would you?"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing... was hoping for a little Zorro kind of scene... You know? ... Elena, in the barn ..." He finished, sighing dreamily.

"I should have known! Dream on, you fool!" She spat at him. And then without a pause: "En-garde!"

They saluted each other and Zack with their foils. Alec remained in position, waiting for her attack. She didn't disappoint him.

She made the first advance, two steps forward, extending her arm in a direct attack. Alec easily blocked it, his blade down and to the inside, his wrist pronated (extended, palm down). He took a step back, letting her make the calls. She lunged at him, her rear leg perfectly extended, landing on her bent front leg with a grace that would have been the envy of many a fencer. This time she started with a feint, charging against his right side, only to change to his left. He parried it, following with an immediate counter-attack that landed him the first point. He made a backward cross, and then lunged at her. Their blades engaged into back and forth play, with only brief lapses they used to regroup.

The first three-minute period passed, leaving her with three points, him with five.

She started the second period with a balestra - a forward hop - followed by a flawless fleche, leaping off her leading foot, the tip of her foil hitting his right shoulder, before she passed him at a run. He tilted his head, acknowledging the beauty of the movement. She just smiled smugly as she turned to face him again.

It was the last period now. They were still evenly matched. Max lunged at him again, the foible of her foil connecting with his. He counter-attacked once again, but this time he made a circular movement of the blade that deceived her parry.

She raised an eyebrow at the quickness of the maneuver. They only had ten seconds to go. She tried to do a cut, but he forced her blade into the high line, immediately using the opportunity to score his last point. She gracefully conceded her defeat with an elegant bow, her eyes sparkling.

Zack signaled the end of the session. They remained standing there, smiling. She absently ran her tongue over her lower lip, attracting his gaze. His eyes grew darker. He placed the tip of his light sword across the back of her neck, using it to pull her towards him. She placed her left hand on his chest, the foil dangling loosely from her other hand. He gently removed a strand of hair from her temple and followed a path down her jaw with his finger, tilting her head up as he lowered his own. When his lips found hers, she dropped the sword, sending it clashing against the wooden floor. Her arm went around his shoulder to caress the hair at the back of his neck. Alec's arm curled around her, lifting her slightly, the cold metal of his foil getting entangled in her hair. Not that she realized it. He was all she was aware of.

* * *

Zack looked at them, his eyes wide with bewilderment. Okay, it was one thing to accept they guy was her 'boyfriend' as she'd put it. In theory. But this? He had already cleared his throat not once, not twice, but three times! And still nothing. Were they planning on... on ... - he couldn't even think about it - with him in the room? He closed his eyes, shaking his head at the image. What the hell had happened? One minute they were fencing. Zack had been enjoying the show. Max was evidently no match for 494. He was just letting her think she had a chance. Then, the next minute, they were making eyes at each other and all of a sudden they were kissing as if they were starving creatures, as if they couldn't keep their hands of the other.

His only consolation was that they still had their clothes on. And he intended to keep it that way.

* * *

Max felt the sudden absence of the hand that had been caressing her neck. She moaned in protest as his lips left hers, tilting her head to the side, in search of his warmth. Her eyes flew open as she realized he was catching a large sword with his left hand, only inches away from her head, his glazed eyes trying to focus on something outside her line of vision.

"Thought that might snap you out of it." She heard Zack's cold voice. She buried her face in Alec's chest. How could she have forgotten her brother was there?

"Was there a point in interrupting, or you are just annoying like that?" Alec's stiff question made her look up at him. His eyes were very focused now. And angry.

"Well, apart from the fact that that is my little sis you can't seem to keep your hands off..." Alec had the decency to blush slightly. He didn't remove his leg from between hers or the arm from around her waist, though. Zack continued, "you still owe me a little bout." He raised his eyebrows. "Are you backing out on your word?"

Max felt Alec's body stiffen around her and knew there'd be no more 'kissing', at least for a while. Damn!

She reluctantly let go of him, taking the foil from his right hand and picking up her own from where it was lying on the floor. She walked towards one of the walls, and leaned against it. Her eyes went from one to the other, each of them busy testing his blade.

Of course, their weapon of choice had been the sabre, the modern version of the old cavalry sword. They were similar in weight and length to the foil. The main difference between the two types of weapon was that the sabre was also used as a cutting weapon.

She tried to remember the rules, since she was apparently supposed to be the referee. Okay, so the target area for this one was... cavalry... oh, yes, from the bend of the hips to the top of the head, front and back, simulating a rider on a horse.

Both men turned to her and saluted. She watched them measure each other, their eyes intent, both standing On Guard.

Zack bowed slightly, inviting Alec to make the first move. Alec leaped forward and swung his blade in obvious preparation, a non-threatening action to create an opening for his attack. Zack stayed in place and Alec lunged at him, the two blades making a distinctive clank at their first contact. Alec went after him with a jab to Zack's left side, which the other X5 blocked with his blade up and to the inside. He immediately riposted, forcing Alec to take a step back to dodge the sabre.

Zack went for him again, but this time Alec knocked the blade out of line using the flat of his own sword. He twirled around and tried a cut to Zack's unprotected side. His opponent was no longer there. He managed to parry Zack's thrust only a few centimeters away from his chest. He put all his strength on his right wrist to push Zack away from him.

They faced each other again, Zack looking smug, Alec smiling with amusement.

The blond thrust, the movement of the sword parallel to its length, but pulled back at the last instant. It was a false action to draw a response which would provide an opening for the action that was really intended.

Alec didn't fall for it. He effectively stopped the chopping motion of Zack's blade with a 'press', immediately followed by an indirect attack.

Zack jumped up, and the blade merely tore the fabric of his black cargo pants. He looked down at them, then back up at Alec.

"You are not seriously trying to re-create that scene, are you?" He asked off-handedly.

"Don't flatter yourself. You're not that cute." Alec drawled back. "Besides, I have this thing for brunettes. They're more... spicy." He smirked.

Zack narrowed his eyes at him, lunging into a furious succession of cuts and thrusts that caused Alec to back into the wall trying to block them. Zack lunged once again, a smile on his lips. Alec leaped back, landing on the windowsill behind him, his blade in front of him to deflect Zack's attack. He jumped forward, doing a somersault in the air and landing smoothly, the blade behind his back, pointing down to block the attack he knew was coming.

He turned around with the blades still engaged and smiled briefly before doing a flip of his wrist that resulted in a stop-cut, grazing Zack's cuff. Zack, on the other hand, had managed a whip-over, a very light touch resulting from the foible of his blade whipping over Alec's blade when it had been parried.

They both turned to look at Max. She raised her shoulders and said: "Simultaneous, guys." It had been. Even with her super-human sight, the two attacks had been too close to determine a winner.

They rolled their eyes and moved away from each other, assuming their fencing stances once again, before continuing the assault.

Max watched them, fascinated. This was even better than the classes and demonstrations they'd had. They were both extraordinary. She could see every move they'd ever been taught being flawlessly performed in front of her. A cut, a thrust, jabs, feints, one or two stop-hits. The names even started coming back to her: Trompement, froissement, envelopenment; another fleche... Oh! A double, riposte, a tierce... Wow, even a neuvieme! She observed Alec do a moulinet - a whirling cut executed perfectly from the wrist. Zack countered with a perfect quinte, a parry that - in sabre - was made with the sword held above the head, the blade to the inside, wrist pronated.

The sound of the metals clashing over and over again was music in her ears. They were so perfect. Graceful, elegant and at the same time, powerful, strong, focused...

She sighed as she pronounced the word 'simultaneous' for the sixth time. "Er.. you guys... much as I am enjoying this ... " They both turned annoyed eyes at her. "Come on, haven't you had enough? You can keep at it all day long and still get no winner. Besides, don't you think it's time for us to get out of here?"

That seemed to sober them both up.

"Do you have any stuff you want to take with you?" Alec asked.

"No. I've got nothing I can't score once we get out of here."

"What? You certainly do not mean... stealing... something, do you?" Alec said with feigned shock. "But... stealing is wrong! Just ask your little sis here!"

Zack blinked at her and she blushed. She turned to Alec. "Shut up!" She got closer to him to smack him on the side of the head. Alec suddenly turned, grabbing her by the waist of her pants and pulling her to him. He stole a quick kiss from her before setting her back on her feet. He smiled briefly and continued walking.

Zack shook his head. "Damn! If only I'd known it was that easy!"

Alec chuckled. "Too late, buddy. You find your own way to shut her up." He paused. "Preferably one that doesn't imply touching her in any way."

Max, a couple of steps behind, felt her blood boil at that 'shutting her up' along with a strong urge to kick him that was battling with the undeniable need to melt. He had sounded so... possessive.

She gave in.

She kicked his shin, hard, and then laced her arm through his, resting her head on his shoulder.

Alec just smiled.

* * *

They were driving an old car that Alec had acquired in a small town some fifty kilometers away from the facility. They had been taking turns at the wheel. Max had recently finished hers and had finally fallen asleep.

Alec was sitting in the passenger seat, directing not-so-discreet glances in Zack's direction.

The other X5 finally turned to look at him. "What?"

"Now that she's asleep... I'd like to know exactly what you remember."

Zack smiled absently. "Don't worry." He said, "I did get flashes of me and her... well, you know. But luckily I only started having them recently. It was after I came here, when I'd already remembered her as a kid. I'm not going to say I never thought of her that way... the girl is a beauty, but... you know..." He made a dismissive movement. "And it all came back more rapidly after I saw her with you. That kind of changed the images a bit." He shot Alec a brief smile.

Alec just nodded, taking the words in. "Okay, I can live with that. You are not going to go all psycho on me again, are you?"

"Of course not." The look he shot Alec, however, was not completely sane. Alec eyed him warily. Zack burst out laughing. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Very funny."

They remained silent for a few more minutes. Zack suddenly turned towards him again. "What did she mean?"

"Huh?"

"Max, when she said they had sent you."

"Oh, that... Well, she was trying to escape. I knew it and so did Manticore. They had injected her with this retrovirus specifically targeted to Eyes Only's DNA. I helped her escape and then followed her to take her back once she had finished the guy off. Needless to say things didn't exactly work out that way. She exposed the facility on a broadcast, they took off, burning the place down. No, don't worry, Max got everybody out," he added hastily as he saw Zack's eyes widen.

"I seem to recall Cale being still alive."

"Oh, yeah, well... Renfro gave Max the cure before she went to join the rest of her demon brothers and sisters back in hell."

"Why didn't you kill him?"

"Well... I was kind of interrupted." A cloud passed through his eyes as he remembered by whom, but he moved right along. "Anyway, when I left he was dying. And that wasn't really my assignment, so... " He shrugged. "The rest is history." He smiled.

"I understand." Zack nodded. "It was my mission though." He paused. "My last mission, before..."

Alec chuckled. "Oh, so you remember that part too, huh?"

"Yes."

"Well, not that I'd particularly mind. I mean the guy sure has gotten us into a lot of unnecessary trouble, but... well, Max is kinda fond of him."

"She thinks she owes the guy. He's always played with her guilt. The only reason he got close to her in the first place was to use her. And those broadcasts of his are more trouble than they're worth."

"Ha! Tell me about it! You wouldn't believe the things Max and I have gotten into because of him."

Zack turned to look at him. "Why did you go along with him?"

"Well, most of the times I didn't. But Max did. It's not like I would let her go alone." The other one nodded approvingly. "He is harmless. Most of the time, anyway."

"Oh?"

"Well, there was this close encounter with a not so friendly opponent on his last 'mission'."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, it was nothing... Just one of Logan's closer collaborators and friends turned out to belong to this group who has vowed to exterminate us all." He said dismissively.

"Oh, yeah, I see. Nothing." Zack raised an eyebrow.

Alec spent the rest of the drive explaining to him who Ames White and the Familiars were, and how the situation was in Seattle. Zack's frown deepened as he listened.

* * *

They were all at Crash, drinking the usual feeble beer. Zack and Alec were playing their hundredth pool game. It was more of an exhibition now. They'd given up on trying to play games since whoever broke won the game without allowing the other one a chance to participate. Now it was all about who could do the finest plays, a game of escalating one-upmanship. They had gathered quite a crowd.

OC took her eyes off of one more fantastic sink of a stripped ball and looked at Max. "Darn, Boo. Yo boys are good." She said shaking her head in amazement. When Max just nodded she took a closer look. "Oh My God, Boo!"

"What?" She asked without taking her eyes from a certain part of Alec's anatomy that was turned to her as he waited his turn.

"Were you planning on ever telling yo' girl?"

"About what?"

"Girl you can't take your eyes of the boy - which ain't nothin' new - but you also don't protest my callin' him your boy? How long has this been goin' on?"

Max blushed under her gaze. "Well... I'm not exactly sure if it is going on..." She had paused, thinking about how to elaborate when she was interrupted by Alec coming to get his glass. He stepped between them and after grabbing his beer, slightly ruffled her hair and gave a brief peck on the lips.

"Yeah, Boo, you were sayin'?" OC burst out laughing and hugged Max. "Good for ya, honey."

"Hey Alec, Zack! Check this out! Some girl on girl action!" Sketchy suddenly shouted, which earned him a very strong punch on each of his shoulders.

"Great, I get rid of Mr. Spectacles and I have to deal with you now?" Alec asked OC with feigned dismay.

"You're lucky m'girl doesn't swing that way, boy. Cause pretty as you are, you ain't no match for Original Cindy." She countered.

"Well, good thing we don't have to worry about that, right?" He smiled back at her. A smile that made every woman in the place, even the two that had been previously checking out Cindy, and a few of the guys, miss a couple of breaths as they stared at him. Sketchy had to take Max by the elbow to keep her from falling. Zack, by the pool table, chuckled. Even she had to blink twice before regaining her wits and shaking her head, impressed. Alec batted his eyelashes innocently before he turned back to the game.

OC could have sworn she heard a collective sigh.

* * *

A few hours later they were all sitting around one of the tables laughing. Zack seemed to have lost his dazed look and was completely at ease with Max's friends. Max was sitting on Alec's lap, and Alec was showing no signs of wanting her to get up. Sketchy kept shooting them amazed glances.

"Well, people, much as I enjoy your company, I'm going to bed now." OC announced.

"Yeah, I should probably be going too. Don't want to get to work late, Normal is already on my back cause of those stupid government types." Sketchy mumbled.

Alec and Max suddenly sat up straighter. "What government guys?"

"Oh, you guys remember when I took that pic? These suits came and interrogated me?" They nodded. Zack leaned forward, completely focused on the conversation as well. "Well, they came back yesterday."

"What? When? I didn't see them!" OC exclaimed. The transgenics just looked at each other.

"You must have been on a run. Anyway, they were asking Normal a lot of questions."

"About what?" Alec interrupted him.

"Er... I don't know. I got out of there the minute I saw them, man. I didn't want nothing to do with them." He bobbed his head, his eyes darting around. "All I know is when I came back, I asked Normal if they were looking for me and then Normal started giving me shit, man. Saying it was none of my business. But I know man, I know they were looking for me."

"Er... maybe, ok. Listen Sketch, if they come back, whatever they ask you, whatever they tell you, you stick to your guy in a mask story. Those government goons can be dangerous. You don't want them around you."

"Sure, man. I don't want those clowns breathing down my neck!"

"Good boy." Alec patted his shoulder. He exchanged a significant look with Max and Zack. They both nodded. "Listen, we are leaving too."

"All right, man. I'll see you tomorrow. And great seeing you too, Zack." He waved at them.

"Yeah. Listen, Sketch. You are a good friend. Really."

Sketchy looked at him out of drunken eyes. "I love you too, man!"

"Yeah... Bye, man." Alec smiled sadly before following Max and Zack out.

* * *

He watched Max put her clothes in a bag and OC stand by her side, helping her. Well, trying to. Max was just too efficient at packing. Something she had learned as a kid.

The discussion hadn't lasted too long. She had put up a little resistance, but it was no match for the two of them. Zack had never been able to convince her in the past. But with Alec's help it had been easier. The fact that they had a thing had helped. She just did not want to stay if he was going away. She didn't want to leave her 'boyfriend'. He smiled as he remembered her slip back in Wyoming. She had never even realized it.

It was just too risky for all of them to stay in Seattle. And unnecessary. Yes, they would miss Sketchy and OC and the rest of their friends. But it was even safer for them with the transgenics gone. Maybe the government visit had nothing to do with them. But maybe it did. The whole situation with Asha had been too recent, and even though he'd covered their tracks, even though he deleted everything Logan had on them of his computer on one of the nights he didn't go to Crash, it was better not to take any chances.

The place they were going had been, ironically, easy to choose. It had been on Alec's mind, but he was glad Zack had been the one to voice it. Alec had been a little wary of the idea, especially knowing how the other two had felt about it before.

Well, things changed, he told himself, watching the beauty before him raise her eyes and smile at him. She had such a striking smile.

She finished and sighed.

"So you guys are really doing this." OC said, glancing from one to the other. Max went to stand by him and took his hand, nodding. "You are going all the way back to where you started, back to the beginning."

"I guess I am." Max smiled, "But this time it's different. This time we are calling the shots."

"Come on Maxie, tell her the truth, you are still pissed off about our fencing session. Stop dreaming, babe, you'll never beat me."

"I am so going to kick your ass next time! I was just a little rusty."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself."

"Shut up!"

OC watched them, amused. "You'll be aiight boo. You'll be aiight."

OC hugged each of them tightly, whispering sweet nothings in their ears that made Max blush again and Alec smirk and wriggle his eyebrows.

* * *

As they were loading their stuff in the car - this one a nice, classic sports car - Zack arrived.

He had left earlier, saying he had to get some things. He put some computer hardware in the trunk of the car, right beside the bags of food they had 'attained' before.

"Are we all set?" Alec asked.

"We are now," was the other man's answer.

"Where did you go anyway?" Max asked conversationally, sliding into the passenger seat of the car.

"Had a mission to complete." Alec abruptly raised his head and locked his eyes with Zack's impassive ones in the rearview mirror, his mouth falling wide open.

"A mission?" Max repeated, laughing. "Zack, Manticore has been down for months."

"I know. I just don't like leaving my missions incomplete."

"What could you possibly still have to do after all this time?" She shook her head.

Alec suddenly seemed to snap out of it and spoke before Zack could, "So, Max, that is an awfully small bag you brought... You sure all your sexy lingerie is there? And how about that little tank top you wore to the strip club? I have fond memories of that one, you know?"

"Alec!" She exclaimed, blushing.

"You went to a strip club?" Zack said at the same time.

As Max embarked herself in a long explanation of how that had come to pass, Alec sighed, relieved at the change of subject to a much less dangerous one. He glanced once again at Zack in the mirror and had to cough as he watched the other guy wink at him, a satisfied smirk on his lips.

END


End file.
